DFA logs 483 new COVID-19 cases among Filipinos abroad; total tops 17K

Philippine overseas workers who were quarantined for weeks after returning home wait for flights back to their home cities around the country, at Manila’s international airport on May 28, 2020. – The Philippine government set up local flights to send thousands of migrant workers stuck in quarantine facilities in Manila back home in an effort to free up crowded quarantine facilities, ahead of new arrivals from overseas. (Photo by Ted ALJIBE / AFP)

MANILA, Philippines — The number of Filipinos abroad who contracted COVID-19 has surpassed the 17,000-mark after the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) reported 483 additional cases on Thursday.

According to DFA figures, the tally of COVID-19 cases among overseas Filipinos now stands at 17,064.

Of these cases, 5,921 are still undergoing treatment while 10,077 have already recovered, including seven new recoveries.

The DFA also reported seven new deaths, pushing the total number of Filipinos abroad who succumbed to COVID-19 to 1,066.

“To date, the total number of countries and territories with confirmed cases among Filipinos abroad remains at 91,” the department said.

“The DFA shall continue to keep track of the status of overseas Filipinos, and facilitate repatriations, whenever possible,” it added.

In the Philippines, there are currently 167,279 active cases, including 9,216 additional infections reported on Thursday. The total number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in the country is 828,366.

Across the world, around 131.5 million individuals have so far been infected by the new coronavirus. More than 2.8 million have died from the disease globally.

EDV